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Topic : 01/24 Dreams, Nightmares and Night Terrors

Number of Replies: 158

New Messages This Week: 0

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Created on : Friday, January 20, 2006, 03:03:18 pm

Author : DrPhilBoard1

Dr. Phil's guests scream, punch, fight and even eat — all while they're sleeping. They suffer from nightmares, sleep terrors and other disorders that are destroying their lives. Scott's sleepwalking and sleep terrors have gotten so dangerous that he has attempted to smother his wife, Heather, with a pillow, has walked outside shirtless in freezing weather, and has even kicked Heather in the stomach when she was pregnant. Heather is not only concerned for her safety, but also for the safety of their two small kids. Then, Nathalie has been plagued by the same gruesome nightmare for 20 years, and worries that she's losing her sanity. What's behind these recurring dreams? Plus, Angela has been eating in her sleep for the past 15 years. She wakes up to find chocolate on her clothes, food wrappers in her bed — even tuna casserole on her fingers! Dr. Phil has advice for putting these sleep disorders to bed. Join the discussion.

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Evil Spirits?

I just finished reading the stories from today and am concerned about Nathalie. Because she states that she feels a "coldness" and smells a "smell" during the times she sees "Amy", in addition to the fact that "Amy" is asking her to "come and play", I would suggest that she speak to a priest as soon as possible. I have been reading a lot about demonic posession (i'm not just trying to scare anyone I am very serious about this) and these are signs that an evil spirit might be attempting to posess her. She should by all means go through any testing that Dr. Phil suggests, but please, talk to a Catholic priest who might be able to offer you some help. I am praying for you.

I had experiences similar to Natalie's for several years. I had dreams and "visions" where there was a smell, known as an aura, and I saw the same person sitting on a school bus, who always said the same thing to me, and it made no sense. It turns out I was having partial complex seizures, and that I had a brain tumor. Eventually my tumor grew large enough to cause grand mal seizures and my problem was diagnosed, but it grew very slowly and that took years. Meanwhile I was left wondering if there was meaning in my "dreams and visions" and wondering what it all "meant."

Fortunately, my tumor was benign and was successfully removed, but all the exorcisms in the world wouldn't have helped me because I wasn't possessed of an evil spirit. I believe prayer is powerful and God is mighty, but I think a lot of people on this board are too quick to assume that dreams are attached to some "other meaning". Dr. Phil was dead-on in having Natalie physically analyzed. You need to rule this out first. Otherwise you are wasting your time with spiritualists and exorcisms, though I would never rule out prayer.

Still holding on

Hello ems. Am I correct in assuming by this post that you are the lady featured on Tuesday's show? I missed the very beginning of your segment but certain parts of it really resonated with me. I, too, had a recurring nightmare although it was not as pervasive or debilitating as yours. What struck a chord with me was the very brief film clip of a house and dog. It gave me a strong sense of deja vu because they closely resembled the house I lived in when I had the nightmares, and the dog we had at the time. The house had a history of a murder back in the 1950s and I often wonder if that was somehow the source of my nightmares. After I moved from the house I had the nightmare only once, then never again. I never felt afraid of anything in the house, though, except for during the nightmare. I truly hope you find a way to resolve this. Please keep us informed of your progress.

Cheers,

BeachHouse

Hi all.

Yes you are correct. I'm the one one the second part of the show. Thank you for the support. I'm still strigling with th enightmare. Still trying to beat it at this point. I'll keep you posted.

thanks for the support

I have beed diagnosed with a sleep disorder and I can relate to Nathalie's nightmare in some ways. I used to have bad nightmare, not always the same one. I am now sleeping with a breathing machine and now have no problems. With Nathalie setting her alarm for every 1 1/2 hour there is noway she is getting the proper sleep. I hope Dr Phil will have a follow up show on Nathalie, because I would like to know her out come. She is a lovely lady and I would love to meet someone of her nature. &nbsp

Hi there,

thank you for your kind words.

I've been seeb by Dr. Lawlis and waiting for the results to come back. I AM NOT POSSESSED, just something in my past that is not resolved... I assume.

I will keep you posted as to how I am doing. As for now, I'm still strugling with "her" and trying to keep my awake life normal.

night terrors

Have any of you seeked the help of a sleep specialist? I take Prozac for my night terrors and my Hypnogonic hallucination. I do not have as many with my meds! maybe once a month instead of once a night!&nbsp

Sleep disorders are very easily misdiagnosed! always get a second opinion.&nbsp

Nathalie -- Narcolepsy

I did not see this particular show, nor have I read all the comments. Recurring dream, paralysis, dreams that partially intrude into waking hours, hypnagogic states... geepers creepers... sounds like narcolepsy to me. Most people think that narcolepsy is all about being unusually sleepy. True narcoleptics have seizures that are the opposite of those that suffer from epilepsy, where the body is limp or has extremely limited mobility but the mind remains partially or fully conscious. Those that experience episodes of cataplexy often dream intensely and get little rest because they are so busy in their sleep. The medication given to severe cases of narcolepsy is Xyrem, which gives REM-less sleep, that is, sleep without dreams. Of course, I am not a physician, however, I do suffer from narcolepsy, adhd, type II diabetes, and years of family domestic violence. (y......es.. I should be on the show AND write abook).. Anyway.. I would be suprised if no one suggested this. Statistics show that narcolepsy is often overlooked for many years, being attributed to just not getting enough sleep or drug use.... Well, I 'plexiing' out now.. um.. um... ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz......................

my son

my son started 2 nights ago having nightmares,he tells me everything looks so far away,his lips are blue he is crying,i get him in the shower to wake him up this goes on for about 30 mintutes trying to wake him up, and his lips are blue the wholetime. this has happened 2 nights in a row, about 10.00 every nite ,this has happened, please someone tell me what is making my son do this .i can not stand to see this it hurts me to see him so scared

Do you mean manipulated through drugs, restraint, or counseling?

ADHD is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and ADD is attention deficit disorder. The symptoms can be mild to extreme in both cases.

My daughter has ADHD and if manipulated correctly, it can be quite a gift (well for her anyway.)

I don't think I'd ever use the word, "manipulated," around her. It may make her feel ashamed, self conscience, or overly... I guess the only word to describe it is controlled. But I don't know what type of manipulation you perform and I also don't know how old your daughter is. (Her age makes a huge difference!)